Bethanie G.

San Rafael, CA

Need a more individualized approach to your learning?

Bethanie offers online lessons

Bethanie is approved to conduct lessons through Wyzant Online. Wyzant Online allows students and tutors to work remotely via video, audio, and collaborative whiteboard tools. For more information about how online tutoring works, check out Wyzant Online.

If you’re interested in online lessons, message Bethanie to get started.

Receive responses from additional tutors

If you select this option, Wyzant will ask interested tutors to contact you by email if they are able to help. A maximum of five different tutors will email you and none of your personal information, including your email address, will be released.

Cornell University

Columbia University Teachers College

Master's

Dominican University of California

Other

Education

Cornell University (English Anthropology)

Columbia University Teachers College (Master's)

Dominican University of California (Other)

About Bethanie

My teaching experience includes many different settings and types of students. I am a recently retired teacher with over 25 years of experience, working with elementary as well as middle and high school students from both public and private schools in Marin County and the East Bay. I come with excellent recommendations from the school principals, tutoring service administrators and clients I have served. My credentials are in English and Social Studies, but I’ve also taught theater and outdoor education, and enjoy helping young people who find it difficult to learn in traditional settings.

The last ten years of my work as a teacher were at a public alternative high school focused on students with a wide range of special needs. These included not only students needing adaptations for content level, presentational style, or specific skill development but also those ready for more challenging work or with specialized gifts or interests. By providing a highly individualized learning context, the school could accommodate a student with a fourth gradereading level as well as one who wanted to do an internship with a veterinarian.

I came to teaching initially out of my love of sharing with young people my own love of the arts and the outdoors, but discovered that I also found great satisfaction in developing fine honed minds. As the instructor for a required Civics class, I've become fascinated with the foundations of our country and its Constitution, the challenges of maintaining a democratic government. Most importantly, I've become convinced that all teaching involves creating a compelling story in which the student can engage actively as well as passively.My teaching experience includes many different settings and types of students. I am a recently retired teacher with over 25 years of experience, working with elementary as well as middle and high school students from both public and private schools in Marin County and the East Bay. I come with excellent recommendations from the school principals,…Read more

Policies

Cancellation

24 hours notice required

My rates are somewhat flexible, depending upon the situation. Please feel free to discuss that with me.

Travel Radius

Bethanie offers online lessons

Bethanie is approved to conduct lessons through Wyzant Online. Wyzant Online allows students and tutors to work remotely via video, audio, and collaborative whiteboard tools. For more information about how online tutoring works, check out Wyzant Online.

If you’re interested in online lessons, message Bethanie to get started.

"Great tutor and I will always recommend her!"

- Irina, San Rafael, CA on 1/3/13

Bethanie is one of the best tutors we have ever met! She has helped my daughter with ACT English and Science segments preparation. I wish we met Bethanie earlier in my daughter’s school years. Not only she is a passionate and patient teacher, she is a very nice and amiable person. My daughter loved her from the first minute they met. Bethanie is very reliable and responsible; she always appears on time, always responds to your calls (e-mails) and always is willing to accommodate. I highly recommend Bethanie to all students!

"Great tutor and easy to work with"

- Cathy, Sonoma, CA on 6/11/16

Bethanie was a great help for my daughter, as she prepared for the English and essay parts of the ACT. Bethanie took time to get to know my daughter's learning style, which is more analytical and math oriented. She gave examples that made it easier to comprehend what was being asked. I highly recommend Bethanie as a tutor and will work with her again when needed.

"Encouraging and Supportive"

- Janine, Novato, CA on 11/26/14

Bethanie worked with our daughter for a few weeks and was able to help direct her as she struggled with comprehension and writing. The differences in confidence and skill level were obvious pretty quickly!

"Great Tutor"

- Shelli, Petaluma, CA on 11/2/14

Bethanie is helping my daughter prepare for the English portion of the ACT test. She breaks down the components that my daughter needs to work on and learn into understandable pieces.

"Amazing!"

- Mira, Ross, CA on 9/29/14

Incredibly patient, yet firm in guiding our daughter to where she needed to be. Lots of creativity. Great communicator with daughter and reporting to us.

"Very Patient and Dedicated"

- Ron, Novato, CA on 8/20/14

My son, a sophomore, had some difficult homework assignments over the summer in English and history. Bethanie helped my son organize his thoughts and improve his writing. They have a good rapport and she is very patient. She also is very dedicated as she did a phone lesson during her vacation because my son needed some guidance on some key concepts in a book for his history class.

"Excellent Professionalism"

- Brian, Novato, CA on 6/7/14

Bethanie has been an excellent English writing tutor for my son who is freshman in high school. She is very professional in that communication was always prompt, and punctuality is top-notch. Bethanie's expertise was great since she was able to figure out what he needed work on and was very patient on showing him how to achieve that. My son really respected her positive feedback and is learning how to write more effectively. I have been very pleased with the progress and I definitely would recommend Bethanie if your child needs an English tutor.

"Kind and knowledgeable English teacher"

- Justin, Irvine, CA on 12/11/13

Bethanie has been so helpful to our boy. She has been very creative with our boy in her teaching. She has been able to explain and motivate our boy to write. We appreciate Bethanie's help.

"Bethanie Great Tutor"

- Sheila, San Rafael, CA on 9/5/13

Bethanie comes with a smile the minute she gets to our door! My son is a little slow to get started and Bethanie gets him motivated and ready to focus on business. She is patient, kind, and knows her material! She is always well prepared and on time. I highly recommend her and my son has already improved his English skills after only a few sessions! She is currently helping him prepare him for the SAT. Highly recommend!

"Bethanie is a God-send"

- Mary Beth, Corte Madera, CA on 2/1/13

There are some days when my son's been so discouraged and exhausted with the amount of homework he has and really at the end of his rope. He's very bright but because he has ADD, it takes him a very long time to complete assignments and he has trouble focusing his thoughts to organize them into a coherent piece of writing. Bethanie has been able to foster a relationship with him where he feels understood, they laugh together, she calms him down and keeps his creative spirit alive but is teaching him a method that helps him COMPLETE projects. His self-confidence and ability to problem solve has really improved. He can hear things from her that he can't from me; she has saved my sanity this year!

"Great tutor that I highly recommend"

- Yassmine, Belvedere Tiburon, CA on 12/19/12

My son started his formal English studies two years ago. Bethanie has been working with him for the past two month and I can see the progress he has made in his writing in such a short time.I am very thankful to have found Bethanie to help my son with his writing skills which is the basis of a great education.

"Professional, Personable, Challenging"

- Yuan, Fairfax, CA on 8/3/12

Bethanie is one of the best teachers I have ever had. She taught me English with warmth and passion. Bethanie not only teaches young learners, she also has great experience teaching advanced students. English is my second language. Learning another language as an adult is a life time practice. I am transferring from community college to UC Berkeley, and Bethanie has helped the transaction become more smooth.Her personality is so casual and welcoming, it inspires me to constantly follow her lead. She truly loves to help us with our individual needs. Bethanie was completely engaged while helping me to develop my personal and unique voice in writing and speaking. Many times, I was amazed how she seemed to know my thoughts and was able to transfer them into beautiful language. By teaching me how to change just a few key words, she showed me how to transform an ordinary sentence into one of poetic beauty.Bethanie is also very responsible. She always appears on time, and each time her attention is so focused and direct. She is truly there with her heart.Helping us is not just Bethanie’s job, it is also her passion and her desire. I highly recommend Bethanie to all students who are willing to take a step up to improve themselves.

"Customized tutoring"

- Adrienne, San Rafael, CA on 5/15/12

Bethanie has been working with my tenth grade daughter for 4 months. She tutors her in writing, History and SAT prep/ vocabulary. Bethanie is patient and has a great sense of humor that quickly put my daughter at ease. She readily established an easy and supportive rapport. Bethanie discovered how my daughter learns. She tapped into her learning strengths and worked with them to enhance her writing and her understanding and analyses of historical events. She taught her concepts and tools which will serve her throughout her higher education. My daughter says she likes Bethanie because she is "so patient". For me, I saw her develop a supportive and empowering relationship that promoted self confidence. Not only have my daughter's grades improved but she has a new energy and enthusiasm that she brings to her school work. She is happier and we are both grateful.

"very knowledgable"

- Margaret, San Rafael, CA on 3/2/12

I tried to stay out of the way during the tutoring session last night but, from what I could hear, Bethanie was holding my daughter's feet to the fire. She was making sure my daughter knew what she was talking about rather than allowing her to assume she understood the things she said she knew. If my daughter would only let me sit in, I am sure Bethanie could teach me quite a bit!

"Engaging, professional...great experience!"

- Jocelyn, Greenbrae, CA on 1/13/12

Bethanie has tutored our 9 year old son in Writing (Organization, Grammar + Composition). She is very engaging, professional and an interesting person with many rich life experiences. This matters to our son; He enjoys spending time with cool people and relating the task at hand to diverse subject matter and practical wisdom. He really enjoyed talking with her! They also laughed a lot. She is good at balancing just enough free form and spontaneity for my son to be authentic and have fun, yet she skillfully maintains a thread to the task at hand.

Bethanie arrives on time and is always well prepared. She writes detailed summaries of every lesson which I really appreciate! Thanks Bethanie!

"My son loved the time he spent with Bethanie!"

- Ann, Belvedere Tiburon, CA on 10/24/11

Bethanie tutored my 8 year old son in English every day for a week and covered everything from written communication to organizational and outlining skills to reading comprehension tips and tricks. She came to our house on time and was well prepared with her own sets of materials to use. The exercises were age appropriate and fun. Bethanie was patient and very engaging; I could hear her laughing with my son during their sessions together and the time passed very quickly.

Bethanie also provided good written summaries and made sure we had time to debrief on what she taught so that I could reinforce terms and concepts afterwards. I feel it made a big difference in my son's ability to organize and understand different ways of communication (written and spoken).

My son was originally not keen on the idea of having a tutor, but afterwards, he said that he enjoyed every minute and would be enthusiastic if we could have continued.

Approved subjects

In most cases, tutors gain approval in a subject by passing a proficiency exam. For some subject areas, like music and art, tutors submit written requests to demonstrate their proficiency to potential students. If a tutor is interested but not yet approved in a subject, the subject will appear in non-bold font. Tutors need to be approved in a subject prior to beginning lessons.

ACT English

I have many years of experience preparing high school students to successfully qualify for college, including test taking, composition and comprehension.

ACT Reading

I have many years of experience as a credentialed teacher helping students of diverse learning styles and backgrounds to successfully prepare for college, including required standardized tests. I emphasize comprehension as well as skills.

American History

As a credentialed teacher, I've taught Civics, American History, and World History, as well as specific topics (such as the contributions of various ethnic groups to the development of American culture and and innovation). While History is difficult for many students when taught as a series of dates and unrelated events, I believe it is the drama of personal stories and the human search for a better life that makes the study of History both important and exciting.

Anthropology

My B.A. at Cornell University was a joint English/Anthropology major. In addition, my performing arts background includes many years of studying the performing arts of Indonesia and Africa in their cultural context. I lived in Western Java twice for several months, studying mask dance and music.

College Counseling

Part of my academic responsibilities for six years at New Vista High School in Colorado was to be an advisor for a group of 20 students each year. This meant training in college advising, applications for admittance, personal essays, career path planning, and grade point assessment. The Advisory met weekly with the entire group, but also involved weekly individual meetings, as well as parent graduation committees. Ongoing training for the Advisor role was provided through the school. Later at Millennium High School in Piedmont as part of the English Department, helping students prepare college entrance essays was considered part of our academic role.

English

I have many years as a credentialed teacher, helping students of diverse learning styles and backgrounds successfully complete graduation requirements and prepare for college. My emphasis in tutoring English is on comprehension and engagement as well as skills, including techniques for test taking. Most importantly, however, I want to find out what each student needs and respond with lessons designed specifically for that student.

ESL/ESOL

Much of my teaching career has been spent working with special populations. I spent the last eleven years teaching in a school that had a very high percentage of students for whom English was not their first language, and developed many effective strategies for helping these students become proficient speakers, readers and writers in their new language. As someone who has lived in countries where English was not commonly spoken, I've also had personal experience with the challenges that presents.

European History

In addition to my California Social Studies credential, I have many years of experience teaching World History. I've also tutored many students in both AP and honors European and World History courses. It is my experience that students have difficulty with this material because it covers such broad events and so many countries, with little context. By providing more contextual background, more detailed explanation of terminology, and frameworks for organizing information, I can help a student grasp and retain the essential content of these classes.

Government & Politics

In addition to my California Social Studies credential, I have taught Civics and American History at the high school level. My goal is to bring these subjects alive, make them relevant to the students I teach, and use the material to develop critical thinking skills. For many years I taught and coached the Mock Trial, a very powerful and effective learning activity.

Grammar

As a credentialed English teacher, I have spent many years helping students to gain mastery of grammar, punctuation and usage conventions. While these are specific skills, they also make it possible for young writers to effectively express their opinions and creativity. Knowing the parts of speech, being able to identify dangling modifiers, and understanding the relationship between predicate adjectives and objective complements are skills that develop both better writers and clearer thinkers.

Macintosh

As a media teacher, I've introduced many students to MicroSoft Word, Excel, InDesign, Final Cut (and IMovie), and other MAC applications. They have used these skills to write papers,create websites, formulate budgets and produce videos, yearbooks and literary magazines.

Photography

My skills are in photo editing, primarily using Photoshop, and in graphic composition. In addition to studying video and photographic editing at Red Rocks Community College in Colorado, I've produced yearbooks, brochures and posters utilizing these skills.

Public Speaking

My professional background includes many years of theater performance as well as teaching theater classes and producing plays with k-12 students. In addition, I have extensive experience preparing students for public presentations to a range of audiences.

SAT Reading

I have extensive experience helping students to successfully prepare for the SAT Reading. Both in the classroom as a credentialed California English teacher, and as a tutor, I believe it is essential for students to develop their critical thinking skills, ability to read for context, identification of key words or phrases, and sensitivity to tone and attitude.

Social Studies

I have a California Single Subject credential in Social Studies, have taught courses in World History, World Cultures, Civics, and selected topics (such as Sustainability in Developing Countries). My classes always focus on the compelling story behind the dates and facts, the people and their beliefs and value systems, and lessons to be learned for our own lives. Through their educational experiences, my students have become involved in earthquake relief projects, travel to foreign countries, and local action (based on their own individual and family values).

Special Needs

I have spent much of my teaching career working with special needs students, including those with learning as well as physical disabilities. In addition to getting to know the student as an individual, and assessing his/her strengths and weaknesses as a learner, I also utilize a wide range of teaching strategies, ranging from kinesthetic to visual stimulation and support. I really enjoy working with this population and helping discover a sense of self confidence and competency.

Study Skills

With 25 years of teaching students in grades k-12, supplemented by in service training, I have developed an extensive repertoire of study skills techniques. These include those based on specific learning styles or learning disabilities (ADHD, etc.), use of active and collaborative learning, guided reading and notes,and an index study system. I really enjoy helping students find ways to be successful and confident learners.

Theatre

In addition to working as a professional performing artist (theater and dance) for many years, including being reviewed in the LA Times and SF Bay Area newspapers, I have been Managing Director of the Curtain Theater in Mill Valley, CA, and have taught theater at the high school level for over 20 years. I've appeared in lead roles with the College of Marin. My theater studies have taken place at Berkeley Rep, the College of Marin, and Cornell University, as well as in West Java, Idonesia.

Video Production

Through my background in the performing arts, I became interested in both the production and post production aspects of video. After studying video production at Red Rocks Community College in Colorado, I am now a member of the Community Media Center of Marin, and I have created and taught an accredited video production class for high school students.

My production credits include short documentary/promotional pieces for several non-profit organizations. I am also proficient in using Final Cut Pro (and IMovie) for editing.

Writing

In addition to teaching English composition to elementary, high school and college students for many years, I've also written and edited for professional publications, including curriculum guides, grant reports, program proposals, and company newsletters. I love to write, both fiction and nonfiction, and enjoy helping students discover their own "voice" and ease in written expression.

Cornell University

English Anthropology

Columbia University Teachers College

Master's

Dominican University of California

Other

Education

Cornell University (English Anthropology)

Columbia University Teachers College (Master's)

Dominican University of California (Other)

Great tutor and I will always recommend her! —
Bethanie is one of the best tutors we have ever met! She has helped my daughter with ACT English and Science segments preparation. I wish we met Bethanie earlier in my daughter’s school years. Not only she is a passionate and patient teacher, she is a very nice and amiable person. My daughter loved her from the first minute they met. Bethanie is very reliable and responsible; she always appears o
...